Panel Discussions at WTCF Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference 2017

On 27th March, the 2017 WTCF Asia-Pacific Tourism Conference proceeded to the Panel Discussion part. The one-day Panel Discussion part consists of three Panel Discussions with three different topics: City Hub and Tourism Economy, Development of MICE Tourism, and Development of Cruise Tourism. Representatives from about 24 cities and leaders of tourism industry from China and abroad were invited to have profound face-to-face discussions about industry hot topics.

Part 1 of the Panel Discussion was hosted by Mr. Karl Wöber, Expert of WTCF; Mr. Andrew Jones, Chairman, Pacific Asia Travel Association delivered a speech at the Panel Discussion. Part 2 of the Panel Discussion was hosted by Mr. Roger Carter, Expert of WTCF; Mr. David Hall, CEO of David Hall Consultancy, Australia, delivered a speech on the Panel Discussion. Part 3 of the Discussion Part 3 was hosted by Mr. Ding Peiyi, Committee Member of WTCF Expert Committee, and the Keynote Speaker was Mr. Farriek Tawfik, Director of Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

Mr. Karl Wöber, Expert of WTCF Expert Committee, hosts the Panel Discussion Part 1

Mr. Andrew Jones, Chairman of Pacific Asia Travel Association, delivers a keynote speech at the Panel Discussion Part 1

Mr. Roger Carter, Expert of WTCF Expert Committee, hosts the Panel Discussion Part 2

Mr. David-Hall, CEO of David-Hall Consultancy, Australia, delivers a keynote speech at the Panel Discussion Part 2

Mr. Ding Peiyi, Committee Member of WTCF Expert Committee, hosts the Panel Discussion Part 3

Mr. Farriek Tawfik, Keynote Speaker of the Panel Discussion Part 3 and Director of Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises

Honored guests are attentively listening to the discussion

The Panelists that participated in the Panel Discussions are representatives from tourism media and leading tourism enterprises such as Ms. Sarah Mathews, Head of Destination Marketing APAC, Tripadvisor; Mr. Shu Zhan, General Manager of Tencent Tourism; Mr. Ning Guoxin, General Manager of U-Tour in Beijing; Ms. Gao Jin, Editor-In-Chief of IQIYI; Mr. Ooi Peng Ee, General Manager of TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd Singapore; Ms. He Qing, Vice President and Senior Editor of CRI Online; Mr. Qin Zhanguo, Director of Beijing News Centre, Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group. City representatives include Mr. Cen Yongkang, Deputy Director of Chengdu Tourism Bureau; Mr. Xiao Jinqi, Deputy Director, Department of Tourism Quality Specification and Management, Tianjin Municipal Tourism Bureau, as well as Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office, Mr. Narayan Babu Bhattarai; Acting Mayor / Municipal Commissioner, Anuradhapura Municipal Council, Mr. Ajantha Dias Gunawardhana, Mayor of Kapiti Coast, New Zealand; Mr. K. Gurunathan and Ms. Elina Branta, Tourism and Export Promotion Division, Head of Division, Ministry of Economics Republic of Latvia. The Experts from WTCF Expert Committee and conference organizer Penang also participated in the Panel Discussions.

Mr. Shu Zhan, General Manager of Tencent Tourism, said at the conference that Tencent and WTCF have a mutually supportive cooperation. Tencent will invest more resources into such fields: internet + infrastructure, internet connection, tourism service and communication, reaching target users, user experience upgrading and so on. With the help of WTCF, we will discover cities’ featured cultural characteristics, and connect more countries and cities through the internet.

Mr. Shu Zhan, General Manager of Tencent Tourism, speaks at the Panel Discussion Part 1.

Mr. Nicky, General Manager of U-Tour in Beijing, said that WTCF plays an important role in helping traditional travel agencies. We need and aspire to gain the support of WTCF. In the process that traditional travel agencies upgrade from providing service to meeting higher consumption requirements, we hope WTCF can provide more resources and support for us.

Mr. Nicky, General Manager of U-Tour in Beijing, speaks at the Panel Discussion Part 1

Mr. Narayan Babu Bhattarai, Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office, said that, the “One Belt One Road” initiative is a very attractive concept, which can bring more profits to Kathmandu. Our municipal government is committed to cleaning rivers and building highways to make our city become cleaner, so that more Chinese, Indian, and even tourists from around the world will come to Kathmandu.

Mr. Narayan Babu Bhattarai, Director of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office, speaks at the Panel Discussion Part 1

Many elites of the tourism industry were attracted to attend the conference. After the conference, the participants all said they had benefited a great deal from it, and volunteered to have further communication with honored guests of the conference.